一项世界杯下注网站帮助证实了美国.S. guidelines encouraging people with high-risk conditions to get the shot

作者:迈克尔·L. 杰克逊, 博士学位, MPH 凯撒永久医疗机构华盛顿 Health 世界杯下注网站 Institute (KPWHRI) associate investigator

As an influenza researcher, I regularly check local and national reports about the flu. 根据美国.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), our current flu season started in mid-December. 典型的季节一直持续到春天.

截至2019年1月5日， 美国疾病控制与预防中心的数据 show we’re in an elevated phase of the flu season, with national outpatient visits for flu-like illness at 3.5 percent, which is above the baseline level of 2.2%. A data point that concerns me in the latest report is that so far for the 2018–2019 season, 16 children in the United States are reported to have died from the flu.

The influenza virus comes in several strains. 到目前为止, the strain dominating the 2018–2019 season has been H1N1, 哪一种往往不那么严重. But H1N1 can still cause severe illness and death, especially in young children. Influenza hospitalization rates for children under age 5 are on the rise.

幸运的是, vaccination against influenza goes a long way toward protecting people, 包括儿童. Many studies, including from KPWHRI, show that flu vaccination protects against getting the flu. About 80 percent of pediatric deaths from flu are in unvaccinated children, but a study in 2017 showed flu vaccination reduces risk of flu death by at least 50 percent.

Good news for people with high-risk conditions

And what about vaccination for people with chronic illnesses? That was the subject of a recent national study involving 凯撒永久医疗机构华盛顿 members. I lead the KPWHRI site of the United States Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network, which is five sites across the country that compare laboratory-confirmed cases of the flu in people who were and were not vaccinated. 从数据来看, we measure how well each year’s flu vaccine works, 所以我们可以每年都做得更好.

With the help of people who get care at sites in the network — including more than 6,000 凯撒永久医疗机构华盛顿 members — we recently got answers to an important question about flu vaccine guidelines. We know that people with certain conditions such as asthma, 心脏病, and diabetes are at higher risk of serious flu complications than people without these conditions. 因为这个原因, 从1960年代开始, public health agencies have recommended the flu vaccination for people with high-risk conditions.

然而, no recent studies had tested the effectiveness of the flu vaccine specifically in people with the high-risk conditions on the public health guideline list. We needed evidence to know if getting vaccinated actually helps people with these conditions in the real world. My Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Network colleagues and I conducted a study (摘要。)从2012年到2016年的四个流感季节. Our participants were people of all ages who visited clinics in Wisconsin, 德州, 密歇根, 宾西法尼亚, and at 凯撒永久医疗机构华盛顿 because they thought they might have the flu.

Using medical records and an accurate laboratory test for influenza, we found that:

· People with high-risk conditions were more likely to be vaccinated than people without high-risk conditions (63 vs. 40%).

· The flu vaccine was effective for people with the high-risk conditions, 将患流感的风险降低了41%.

· The vaccine was slightly less effective in adults with high-risk conditions compared to adults without, 但是在儿童中, high-risk conditions were not associated with differences in vaccine effectiveness.

我们的结论: 患有哮喘等疾病的人, 心脏病, 肾脏疾病, diabetes and other chronic conditions should get the flu vaccine. It’s effective, even in people with high-risk conditions, and it can protect against the flu.

Flu vaccinations are available at all 2022世界杯下注网站 medical offices. 更多信息请访问 here on the 凯撒永久医疗机构华盛顿 website.